In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve got a new header on our blog that has 15 Mexico City icons on it (Click here to view the image). They are images of important things that define Mexico City. If you ever visit Mexico City, you have to see these monuments, people, and other things that represent Mexico City.
15 Things You Must See in Mexico City
- Mexican Flag (La Bandera Mexicana) – especially the giant flag in the zocalo, Mexico City’s main square.
- Fine Arts Palace (Palacio de Bellas Artes) – if you get a chance, watch the folkloric ballet in the auditorium.
- Mariachi Band (Los Mariachis) – you can find them in different places, but the most famous plaza for mariachis is Garibaldi Square.
- The Angel of Independence (El Angel de la Independencia) – this monument has been a symbol of Mexico City for a long time. You can find it on Reforma Blvd, one of the main roads that goes through the city.
- Metropolitan Cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana) – the main cathedral in the country is located in the zocalo, too.
- Organ Grinder – these guys can usually be found in front of the Fine Arts Palace and in the zocalo in front of the cathedral. (click to view a video of an organ grinder)
- Torre Mayor – the tallest building in Mexico City, offering great views from the lookout high above the city.
- The Little Horse (El Caballito) – a landmark on Reforma, this sculpture looks like a yellow horse head.
- Latin American Tower – located across the street from the Fine Arts Palace, this tower has a lookout on top offering you great views of the city. (click to see video from the Latin American tower)
- World Trade Center – a popular place for expos and conferences.
- Monument to the Revolution – this monument is to honor the Mexican Revolution. It is a huge monument situated in a fairly large square.
- Basilica of Guadalupe – the second most visited Catholic site in the world (second only to the Vatican) is considered the most sacred place in all of Mexico. (click here for video of the Basilica)
- Monument to Benito Juarez – this monument sits right out in front of Alameda, Mexico City’s central park, and serves as a monument to one of the most important figures in Mexican history.
- Green Taxis – you’ll see these little green Volkswagen beetles everywhere (vochos).
- Airplanes – planes are constantly flying overhead due to the location and constant traffic flow of the international airport. (click here for video of the landing in Mexico City)
These things define Mexico City and make it what it is.
From left to right: Deborah, Josue, Kareni, Huberto (professor), Gerson, Victoria
As I posted before (click here for earlier post), we have the largest freshman class of youth ministry students in the history of the program.
We worked really hard last year to promote the youth ministry program at the Mexican Baptist Theological Seminary by going to various conferences, camps, and youth events.
While five new students may not seem like many, it is a pretty good sized class considering that our seminary welcomed 13 new freshman this year (only 8 students weren’t youth ministry students).
I’m excited about this year. We now have 14 total students studying youth ministry in Mexico City. Please keep praying for us.
It seems like Cuba can’t get a break lately. Yesterday I got an email from one of my friends down there asking us to pray for them as they face this deadly hurricane.
My students are spread all over the island, which means that last week as Gustav rolled through Pinar del Rio and Havana, I was praying for some specific people there.
Now, as the eastern part of the island is getting slammed by Ike, I have a whole new set of people who are in danger.
Having been there before, it makes me understand the danger a little more than just by seeing it on television. With many of the houses already standing for more than 50 years, the terms hurricane force winds and storm surge seem unreal. I don’t know how they will handle a natural disaster of this magnitude.
Please pray for Cuba and the people who are being affected by these terrible storms.
Having a three year old in the house means we watch a lot of Spongebob Squarepants. We watch Spongebob in the morning, in the afternoon, and at night.
I’ve grown to like the cartoon sponge, and I’m willing to admit that I think Spongebob Squarepants can be a positive role model. In fact, I think there are some things we can learn about life from Spongebob Squarepants.
I Want to Be Like Spongebob Squarepants
- He is positive. Spongebob starts every day by saying, “I’m ready!!!!” His positive attitude is seen in pretty much every response. It’s a common thing for the Spongebob to respond positively to something that everyone expects him to respond negatively. We could all imitate Spongebob and change our attitudes to be positive.
- He is persistent. Another thing about Spongebob is that he doesn’t give up too easily. He perseveres. It seems like he’s been trying to get his boating license forever, but no matter how hard he tries, he can’t pass the test. His teacher, Mrs. Puff (she’s a puffer fish), ought to be impressed with his persistence. I want to be persistent at what I’m trying to accomplish.
- He is playful. One of Spongebob’s hobbies is to go “jellyfishing.” He catches jellyfish with his net. He’s constantly got a playful attitude. Maybe that’s why he’s a cartoon, but I think we adults can take ourselves too seriously sometimes. I want to be playful like Spongebob.
- He is friendly. Spongebob gets along with everyone, even his neighbor Squidword. He finds ways to get people to like him regardless of how silly he is. His best friend is an extremely dumb starfish. He has a great relationship with a squirrel who lives underwater, and his boss likes him, too. I want to make friends as easily as Spongebob.
Isn’t it funny what you can learn from a porous, absorbent, yellow sponge that lives in a pineapple under the sea?
A Spanish blog I read called Vivir Mexico has recently started a great series called (in English), “That’s how we are: Mexicans.”
The idea is that they are going to explore Mexicans and their culture, talking each week about an aspect of Mexican culture (they say they will explore both the good and the bad).
This week’s topic was Mothers (El Culto de La Madre (Spanish link)). Here’s some of what they had to say:
El Culto de La Madre
Mothers and the word Mother is something that is reflected in every aspect of Mexico, from religion to culture; from moral values to politics.
You can see the difference between Mothers and Fathers just by looking at the difference between Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day. Mothers’ Day is practically a national holiday while Fathers’ Day goes practically unnoticed.
Motherhood represents the protection, faith, and safety of always having somebody by your side regardless of what happens. Somebody will always be there to comfort you, attend to you, and will always be ready to forgive you and love you unconditionally.
To be a bad mother is the worst possible thing in Mexican society. Bad mothers are the villains of every story. This logic would also explain the controversy over the legalization of abortion, halting the possibility of being a mother.
In Mexico, you can steal, kill, kidnap, beat, and do whatever, but to abandon your children is to fall to the bottom.
The same thing applies to children. You can do anything else, but the child who abandons his mother deserves less than the devil himself, especially if the mother is elderly.
It is even said that the devil acts the way he does because he didn’t have a mother to advise him.
I look forward to this series. There are many things there that I had already noticed, but to hear it from a Mexican and to think about the implications have helped me understand the culture so I can better minister within the culture.
(Image by carf on flickr)
